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GrandCare Systems featured on “Into Tomorrow” by Dave Graveline – from EHX

I ran across this video today while searching online and thought I’d share! It’s a great little clip of two of our GrandCare team members giving a demonstration back in March 2011 at EHX: The CEPRO event in Orlando. GrandCare R&D team member, Nick Hall and GrandCare Las Vegas Sales Rep, Brietta Smith, were interviewed by Dave Graveline & Rob Almanza from Into Tomorrow about the GrandCare wellness sensors (namely the blood pressure device) and the newer integration of the Rx Tender, Medication Dispenser.

[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozk_d3hhCbM]

 

Why Digital Home Health Isn’t Selling by Jason Knott

Here’s an article from CE Pro  June 20th 2011 By Jason Knott – his view on Why Digital Home Health Isn’t Selling….what do you think??? To read the article: http://www.cepro.com/article/why_digital_home_health_isnt_selling/  

Dealers lack the sales skills for digital home health market that is ready to take off.

As the residential market continues to flatten and integrators seek out alternatives, why haven’t more dealers looked into digital home healthcare? After taking a full-day GrandCare Systems training recently at Home Controls Inc., here are a few of my conclusions.

The market is growing: There will be 70 million senior citizens by the year 2030, double the number from the year 2000. This one is even more mind boggling: there will be 1 million people over the age of 100 by the year 2050. Almost none of us will able to afford nursing homes.

The systems are profitable: Systems from companies like GrandCare offer healthy margins for dealers.

The systems offer recurring revenue: Dealers can earn solid “alarm-like” recurring monthly revenues from home health systems.

There is an entry-level option: Personal Emergency Response Systems (PERS) offer a lower-cost option to “get your feet wet” in the market.

Systems are easy to install: The GrandCare System is stand alone, it does not and cannot integrate with a home control system. That might be a drawback in terms of providing a totally seamless solution for customers, but is probably not a reason for not even offering these systems. Plus, the installation is way easier than installing a control system or even an A/V system.

There is no liability to the dealer: In the case of GrandCare, the system liability is borne by the manufacturer, not the integrator. Besides, the system is not a PERS. It is not designed to detect when granny falls down the stairs.

Since all the stars seemed to be aligned for aging in place systems, why aren’t they selling? The only conclusion I can come to is that integrators are unwilling to put in the sales effort. For the average integrator, the systems are not easy to sell. The sales process requires educating both the caretaker and/or the family of the elderly client. It can be slow with a lot of hand-holding.

Selling digital home health also means you have to establish relationships with a new set of partners (nurse care, physical therapists, oxygen supply providers, etc.), and A/V guys don’t want to do that.

If you want to put in the work, the home health market is ripe for the picking. If you don’t, then you will be on the outside looking in on a market that is unquestionably going to be huge.

Am I wrong?

CE Pro  June 20th 2011 By Jason Knott

About the Author

Jason Knott, Editor, CE Pro
Jason has covered low-voltage electronics as an editor since 1990. He joined EH Publishing in 2000, and before that served as publisher and editor of Security Sales, a leading magazine for the security industry. He served as chairman of the Security Industry Association’s Education Committee from 2000-2004 and sat on the board of that association from 1998-2002. He is also a former board member of the Alarm Industry Research and Educational Foundation. Jason graduated from the University of Southern California.

5 Comments

Posted by Paul Self  on  06/20  at  10:04 AM

I believe it is more about the transition from the AV/Home Theater dealer to being a true Electronics Systems Contractor (ESC). This industry is struggling to transition from “Home Theater” guys to really address the electronic needs of our lives (even as we age). This same speed bump happened with IT services and video gaming. The CEDIA market practically fought back because it was not home theater, whole house AV, or control system. The industry is still struggling with energy management, which is a lot more than energy monitoring. This industry is at an important juncture that will require a lot of dealers to adjust to being a true ESC.

Posted by Stephen  on  06/20  at  12:41 PM

Have you ever tried to sell tech to old people?

Posted by Paul Self  on  06/20  at  01:03 PM

Therein lies the problem. This article is about selling piece of mind to care givers and helping an aging population live in their own home with autonomy. It isn’t about selling technology to old people. They do not want to live in a “old people’s home”. They want to live at home and not be a bother to their children. They key is to sell the benefit, not to sell the technology. The CEDIA market is struggling past that transition of selling the cool technology and start selling the benefit. We are touching everything electronically in the home, and yet we ignore a major lifestyle shift, aging in place.

Posted by Jason Knott  on  06/20  at  01:17 PM

Paul is right on. The primary sales target is the family member and/or caregiver, not the elderly “loved one.”

Posted by Laura Mitchell – GrandCare Systems  on  06/21  at  09:17 AM

This is an interesting article, Jason, thanks for posting!

I see a few reasons why the market has been slow to accept!  One of the problems was technology in general!  It took a while to really get a hold on the industry!  We started selling GrandCare back in 2006, set up a dealer network in 2007.  Some of it was just a waiting game, waiting until the market caught up with the early dealers’ visions.

I think in a lot of ways, all of our dealers have been extremely visionary, so often way ahead of the curve. They saw the need, they saw the solution years before the general public noticed.

So, some of it was just getting prepared, waiting it out, getting educated and educating their local population on the solutions available.

I do agree with you that so often, there is much more hand holding and explanation/education involved (at least for now) in this industry. We often find that many of our dealers that are successful have experience already in the elder care market OR have been smart to partner with an aging expert.  Some of our dealers have partnered or hired on a geriatric care manager, nurse, continuum of care expert, etc.  These partners are the ones that know HOW to talk with the caregivers/loved ones AND they know how to identify problems and help to solve them using technology.

It’s darn hard to sell something to a demographic that you really know nothing about. For this very reason, in 2008, I started up industry wide aging/technology webinars. They were designed to educate our dealers on the aging market and how to apply tech to those situations!  They are still happening – the 1st and 3rd Thursday of every month – we meet here: http://grandcaresystems.webex.com (all are welcome)

Biggest mistake is when a dealer joins this market to “make a quick buck” – it’s not an easy sale, but it IS fulfilling, heartwarming and as an added bonus, the margins are good!

Thanks for the post!


RT@AgeTek Is custom install missing the boat with “Connected SOURCE”?

Had to repost this – – I thought it was a rather interesting take by AGETEK Chair, Peter Radsliff, and I couldn’t agree more…Connected Source sounds like a terrific idea and I think it could really benefit from having the component that today’s integrators are seeking – the final piece to the puzzle – “HOME HEALTH TECHNOLOGY”..It’s something that EVERYBODY is seeking…because everyone is getting older and 90% of seniors report wanting to stay independent in their own homes.

Is custom install missing the boat with “Connected SOURCE”?.

OPINION: So where does a consumer go to really get help with difficult home technology challenges, especially those that are not easily solved by trying to do-it-yourself? That’s what the Best Buy Magnolia Hi-Fi & Geek Squad store-within-a-store concepts were designed to address. Well, now the custom install community is introducing its own nationwide branded concept, but this time it’s is a store-within-their-showrooms called “Connected SOURCE.”

Described as “Sort of like True Value” as noted in Julie Jacobsen’s CE Pro article of February 23 [here], the Connected SOURCE concept seems like an idea whose time has come. Except that, in my humble opinion, the Connected SOURCE concept is completely missing the boat.

Categories for Connected SOURCE merchandising

© Connected SOURCE 2011

Each Connected SOURCE location will be merchandised exactly alike with seven zones: 1) 3D Theater, 2) DNLA/Skype, Internet, 3) iPTV/Movie Library, 4) Personal Audio & Headphones, 5) Home Networking, 6) Whole Home Control, and 7) Home Theater Control. Hey, but haven’t we heard a lot from custom installers in the past two years that their businesses are hurting selling the same ol’ same ol’? Is special merchandising and branding for 3D TV, home control or home theater control really going to make that big of a difference?

Where is the aspirational vision to tackle a huge and growing market with new solutions to problems people are encountering for the first times in their lives? You know, the kind of forward-looking vision that Magnolia and Geek Squad had over ten years ago that caused them both to be acquired by Best Buy. If Connected SOURCE is now selling headphones because they are cool again, or new TVs because everything people watch now goes “booga booga,” that doesn’t sound like a big plan for the future. If you ask me, it’s more of the same ol’ same ol’ and barely catches up with Big Box Custom, never mind surpassing them.

Here are seven statistics I found that any business these days will find interesting:
a) The 35 million Americans 65+ in 2000 doubles to 70 million in 2030
b) 25% of working Americans juggle their jobs vs. caring for a loved one.
c) 50% of caregivers are responsible for parent care while also parenting their own
d) 20% of family members actually quit working to provide care
e) 90% of focus group participants conducted by a prominent industry organization were willing to pay $50/mo. for services and technologies to stay independent and in their own home
f) 78 million Americans over age 50 controlled 67% of the country’s wealth in 2001
g) In the time you took to read this so far, 17 more people turned 50 years old, that’s 10,000 more every day!

Maybe putting bluetooth-enabled healthy-weight scales and blood-pressure cuffs next to iPads and Beats headphones isn’t really the solution for Connected SOURCE. But if not them, then who? Other retailers and industry leaders are already moving on this opportunity right now. But they don’t have the expertise like the custom install industry does. I hate to see new entrants struggle to create everything new as much as I hate to see the custom install industry completely missing this boat.

Hey, but that’s my two cents. I’m actually happy to see any collaboration towards collective branding and merchandising to help the industry connect with consumers. When you’re ready to go after a really huge market, give us a call.

Peter Radsliff
Board Chairman, Aging Technology Alliance [site]
President & CEO, Presto Services Inc. [site]

[polldaddy poll=4606941]

CEDIA Expo Tech Sessions to Focus on HDMI, Home Health


http://www.cepro.com/article/cedia_expo_tech_sessions_to_focus_on_hdmi_home_health/
Four free technology discussions in Atlanta will cover HDMI, digital home health, gaming/3D, tablet PCs and communications protocols.

By CE Pro Editors
August 04, 2010
Four panel discussions presented by the Custom Electronic Design & Installation Association (CEDIA) at CEDIA Expo 2010 (Sept. 22-26 at the Georgia World Congress Center in Atlanta) will shed light on some of the most talked-about issues in the electronic systems industry.

Expert-led panels will focus on opportunities in and the future of:
HDMI
Digital home health
Entertainment
Communications
The panel discussions are offered by CEDIA’s Technology Council in conjunction with the new Future Technology Pavilion at CEDIA Expo 2010. The Future Technology Pavilion will showcase cutting-edge technologies that are expected to impact the electronic systems industry in the coming months and years. The panel discussions will give CEDIA EXPO attendees a more in-depth perspective on the technologies and trends represented in the pavilion.

…
Digital Home Health: What It Is and How It Affects Us All, 2 p.m. – 4 p.m. Fri., Sept. 24, will cover the closely watched topic of home health care technology. Moderator Laura Mitchell of GrandCare Systems will lead a panel that includes experts from leading companies in the home health and senior care space.
…
Utz Baldwin, CEDIA CEO, says, “The discussions will allow industry professionals to get a closer look at the most anticipated technologies and trends in home technology.”

What you Can’t Afford to Miss at EHX 2010

Where is EHX Spring 2010 http://ehxweb.com/
March 25th – 27th, 2010
Orange County Convention Center
West Building – Halls A1-2
9800 International Drive
Orlando, FL 32819
800-345-9845
www.occc.net

Home Health Tech Participants include:
GrandCare Systems
Celery
Halo
LogicMark
MyGait
Presto Services, Inc
Sponsored by: GrandCare Systems

The Schedule of AgeTech Events!!! Did I miss something (please post a comment on the bottom for me to add to the list)

Wed March 24th
9a – 5p (ROOM 304H) GRANDCARE DEALER TRAINING MEETING – open to ALL Authorized GC DEALERS
Thurs March 25th
10:00AM – 6:00PM Exhibits Open
12:30 PM – 1:30 PM ROOM New Opportunities Pavilion
CE Pro – Home Health: Technology Hot Seat Panel Discussion
Learn the different types of technology that are currently being used and integrated into independent living for our aging population.
Moderated by Laurie Orlov, Aging in Place Technology Watch
Speakers: Gaytha Traynor (GrandCare Systems), Neil Grabowski (Celery), George Kanelos (LogicMark), Pam Martin (Halo)
http://ehxweb.com/schedule/detail/D2D-Enabling-Technology-Manufacturers-Hot-Seat-Panel-Session
2:00PM – 3:00PM ROOM – EHX PRESS ROOM
LIVE FROM EHX Weekly AgeTech Conference Call Hosted AT EHX!! Please contact: Laura@grandcare.com to sign up to speak as an EHX attendee/exhibitor. We are looking for speakers to talk for 5 minutes during the LIVE FROM EHX conference and discuss what they are seeing, their impressions of the EHX show, and of course, discuss their personal interests in home health technology! PLEASE CONTACT LAURA to sign up for a speaking slot!
Friday March 26th
9am – 1030am ROOM 203B
When Grandpa wants the Cadillac! GrandCare Systems
This training session led by GrandCare Systems, discusses the latest home health technology: GrandCare Systems. A holistic combination of 4 “Smart Home” technologies: Activity Monitoring, Telehealth Assessment, Connectivity/Social Networking and Cognition into one easy-to-use system to help a loved one “Age Responsibly” at home! Using a series of wireless protocol-driven (Zwave/Bluetooth) sensors, GrandCare generates automated alerts to care-partners if anything seems amiss (vitals abnormal, medication noncompliance, someone does not get out of bed, etc.). Meanwhile, family can electronically send pictures, youtube videos, messages, music, emails and more to a dedicated SIMPLE-to-USE TOUCHSCREEN in the loved one’s home. Learn how you can do WELL by doing some Good!
10:00AM – 6:00PM Exhibits Open
1p – 2pm Room: New Opportunities Pavilion
CE Pro D2D – Healthcare Reform: Opportunities in Home Health Technology
Moderated by Julie Jacobson, CE Pro
Speakers: Paul Ebaugh (Elder-Watch), Jason Ray (Simply Home)
430 PM – 530 PM Room: CE PRO Stage
Developing Your Sales and Marketing Plan to DIVE into the $20 billion aging & tech market!
Speakers: Laura Mitchell (GrandCare Systems), Peter Radsliff (Presto Services, Inc.)
Saturday March 27th
10:00AM – 3:00PM Exhibits Open

Consider joining us at EHX 2010 as an attendee or home health tech exhibitor

Why the Home Health Market Will Explode…from CEPRO

Hands-on exhibits will teach custom electronics professionals how to tap into this booming marketplace.
image
Jan 5th 2010, By Jessica Camerato
01.05.2010 — Looking to find more customers? It’s easier than you may think.
Make that a million times easier.
Home Health Technology is one of the most lucrative markets in today’s economy. Every month approximately one million people turn 60 years old, and 80 percent of them are in developing countries. Not to mention nearly two-thirds of people who have ever lived to the age of 65 are still alive today.

In fact, the fastest growing population segment is people 85 and older. The second fastest? Those who have turned 100, according to AARP.

Need to know more? About 3.5 million people worldwide will be over 100 years old by 2050, according to HelpAge International.

This rapidly growing population (also known as the “silver tsunami”) of seniors and aging baby boomers represents a thriving client base that cannot be ignored in today’s economy.

“The recession is probably the best thing that ever happened to the aging and technology industry,” said Laura Mitchell, business relationship specialist for GrandCare Systems, a leading provider of high-end, in-home health technologies and vocal advocate and educator to dealers and policy makers. “People cannot afford to go into assisted living where, on average, you’re spending about $4,000 to $8,000 a month.

“Whereas if you can purchase a system and stay in your home for even a month or two, you’ve already purchased the system. Not to mention, a lot of people who may need to go into a facility cannot sell their house right now and so they don’t have the option to moving into a facility. They need something in the interim.”

Home Health at EHX Spring
EHX Spring 2010 has partnered with GrandCare Systems to present the Home Health Tech Pavilion in Orlando, Fla. on March 25-27. These dedicated sessions and hands-on exhibits will teach custom electronics professionals how they can tap into this booming marketplace.
“Dealers really do need to be the expert in this industry,” said Mitchell.
Many CE pros already have the skills they need to succeed in this industry. Health care providers are turning to those who have experience in home automation to set up systems in homes and in long-term care facilities. GrandCare, for example, uses existing protocol-driven sensors such as the Z-Wave mesh network and Bluetooth technology.
“There is an especially good fit for people in the home automation industry who already have a feeling of how to set up sensors, to set up mesh networks, to make sure there is Internet access in the home, to do smart sensor placement,” said Mitchell.
…read the entire article: http://www.cepro.com/article/why_the_home_health_market_will_explode/